HAMILTON MEDICAL CENTER IN DALTON PLANS CANCER CENTER

For more information on how to support the Hamilton Cancer Institute, contact the Whitfield Healthcare Foundation, 706-272-6128 or visit www.hamiltonhealth.com[1].

In what it calls "one of the most significant initiatives in its 95-year history," Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton, Ga., announced plans to build a $30 million community cancer institute.

The institute will be built in a three-story, 37,800-square-foot new building on the south side of Memorial Drive across from the main hospital entrance and will offer patients collaborative oncology "in a healing, patient-centered environment," the hospital said in an announcement of the project.

"This advancement in cancer care for our region is happening at a pivotal moment," said Jeff Myers, Hamilton's president and CEO. "Hamilton's commitment to offer best-in-class services converges with rapidly evolving developments in cancer treatment."

Patient-centered services, like those to be offered at the Hamilton Cancer Institute, continue to expand at cancer centers around the country, according to the The 2015 Trends in Cancer Programs survey. For example, psychological counseling was offered at 88 percent of centers in 2015, up from 78 percent in 2014.

Community input will help determine what services are offered at the Hamilton Cancer Institute.